Northern Indiana is full of people working hard every day to make their communities a better place. Since 2011, GreatNews.Life has been putting the spotlight on the people spreading this positivity in the Region with our Life in the Spotlight series. New articles are published every Wednesday, so be sure to check back often to learn more about the stories of great people doing great things in Northern Indiana.
Donna Shane knew that she wanted to be an early elementary educator from when she was a young girl attending St. Mary’s Catholic Community School in Crown Point. “I had some profound teachers at St. Mary’s who have really shaped my attitude...
Deborah “Deb” Butterfield’s family are Cherokee Indians, with a great grandparent having traveled on the Trail of Tears before settling in Oklahoma. Butterfield’s parents moved from Oklahoma to Indiana for work, and they began their lives in...
Dena Whaling, born and raised in Valparaiso, has spent a large majority of her life giving back to the community in one way or another. Alongside her Valparaiso High School sweetheart, Matt, she has become a pillar of light and hope for friends and...
Rick Clements is what some may call a jack-of-all-trades. Student. Professor. Dad. Author. Speaker. Clements grew up in Indianapolis, graduating from Perry Meridian High School before attending Indiana University, where he received a...
Connecting with children isn’t rocket science to Jonathan Owens, the program coordinator at the Valparaiso Boys and Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana. Owens' perfect formula involves humor, empathy and educating our youth. Created on the...
Father Roque Meraz may be the next TikTok star we never saw coming. The associate pastor at St. Paul Catholic Church uses art, like the humorous religion-based videos on his Instagram, and joy to spread a message of love to the community. Faith and...
Catherine Cole's journey into teaching began with a leap into the unknown. After graduating from Michigan State University, she secured her first job as a second-grade teacher in the small town of Eaton Rapids, Michigan, and settled into married life...
When two women with a love for baking happened to discuss their passion during a work shift at Starbucks, the pop-up bakery The Baking Beans was born. Loren Huff and Breanna Webb opened their local baking business just two months after that...
The Region is known for hosting folks for what they think will be a season of their life, but they wind up staying a lifetime. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Valparaiso University, the steel mill industry, and large public education systems...
Family ties run strong for some Region families, with parents and grandparents laying down roots many decades ago. This holds true for Arman Sarkisian, longtime resident and associate at his family’s law firm, Sarkisian Sarkisian & Associates...
